Boehner and McConnell: Amnesia Victims

The Speaker of the House and Senate Minority Leader are still posing for pictures nobody is taking.

In answer to the President’s Weekly Address, John Boehner huffs, “If there was a mandate in this election, it was a mandate to work together to do what’s in the best interest of our country.”

To the sympathetic Wall Street Journal, Mitch McConnell croaks, “We won’t agree to any tax increases that will hurt the economy.”

Wrong and wrong. Barack Obama rightly insists the election validated his approach to economic recovery and that Republicans can’t forget that in either the lame duck session or the next Congress.

In his Address, the President tells Americans that “you voted for action, not politics as usual. You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours.

“That’s why I’ve invited leaders of both parties to the White House next week, so we can start to build consensus around challenges we can only solve together. I also intend to bring in business, labor and civic leaders from outside Washington…

“Last year, I worked with Democrats and Republicans to cut a trillion dollars’ worth of spending…But as I said over and over again on the campaign trail, we can’t just cut our way to prosperity…”

“we just can’t cut our way to prosperity”. Very true. The problem here is that there exists two very different opinions about what this country is, and should be. Republicans are aware for the need of social programs, they just don’t like it. They are not the party “of the people, by the people and for the people”, they are the party of concentrated wealth and big business. Any cooperation involves a scenario whereby the Reps make “concessions” to the Dems for social programs BUT in return they want fewer regulations and lower taxes on business and the wealthy. As long as they believe the US is a nation of ” immigrants looking for free stuff” it is unlikely we will find common ground on which to negotiate. The Republicans have not fundamentally changed their view since Rockefeller and McKinley. Every law to benefit the human condition in this country has been passed by a Democrat administration, Wage and hour, womens vote, medicare, social security..the list goes on. And Republicans have opposed them. They really just aren’t a “people” party. Gonna be a tough fight.

And btw, my conservative friends have told me repeatedly that the” Republican party cares every bit as much as Democrats about the people of this country”. my reply…” I am sure the majority of them do, but they aren’t the ones SPEAKING for you.” If you guys really do care, how about looking closely at the people you elect to represent your view. Check our their voting record and take a hard look at where they stand on issues you find important. If they aren’t reflecting your view, don’t vote for them. Party be damned. In the past, I haven’t always voted for a Dem. I have voted Rep AND Independant. Hell, I was even excited about Perot ( til I realized what a crazy person he was) It is very hypocritical to rush to the defense of a party who doesn’t feel as you do when YOU voted them into office.